The weather forecast said partly cloudy skies but no rain for Saturday, so I packed my bag with food and hiking clothes on Friday night and planned my trip from London down to Brighton where I could then catch a bus eastward to Seaford and hike the coastline. This is where I would get to see the beautiful Seven Sisters Cliffs and a view out over the English Channel towards France. I got off next to a dirt lane in the countryside at the bus drivers’ recommendation and followed the lane between quaint English cottages with flower gardens on one side and rolling green hills with grazing sheep on the other. I soon left the houses behind as a climbed a hill further into the green pastures, stopping frequently to pick fresh sweet blackberries. At the end of the hill I was greeted with the coastline and my first peek at the cliffs that are The Seven Sisters. The skies were ominously grey, and it had begun to spit sporadically so without further delay I broke into a steady jog to the coast, following the path through a carpark and onto the walking trail proper as it began to wind its way downwards to a shallow rocky beach before rising back up for the first of the rolling hills above the cliffs.
I stopped to chat to some ladies whom were picking strange dark purple berries off shrubs along the track. The berries turned out to be Sloe Berries which they were taking home to let ripen and make Sloe Gin (Yummm). Down to the rocky beach I continued and off with my shoes as I waded through the creek and zig-zagged up the following hill. Unfolding in front of me were the chalk white cliffs, creating a dramatic border between the rise and fall of the lush green pastured hills and frothing dark grey water of the channel. I spent the next couple of hours running up and down the hills, overtaking other walkers while hoping the occasional spitting rain would hold off.
The day started to clear up and I passed first one lighthouse on the green hills, then another built down on the rocks in the water. Around lunchtime I arrived in just outside of Eastbourne, my finishing point. I was pretty happy with around 20km done in a few hours and so I sat in a park just on the edge of Eastbourne and ate cheese, spicy salami, eggs and pikelets with butter for lunch. One of those travel oddities where you arrive at a place and completely luck into some local festival or event that you had no idea was on occurred and I just so happened to arrive as one of the biggest UK airshows kicked off. I wandered through the town, watching the jets, planes and helicopters do their thing out over the water then exploring the carnival rides, stalls and food in the centre of town. After a day on my feet I was fairly tired and was looking forward to the quiet 2hr train ride back to London where I could read my book and watch the countryside slide past; so off I went home. Good times had.
